Display device

ABSTRACT

The display device has a clock, thermometer, hygrometer, and a motor-driven continuous belt containing advertisements mounted within a housing behind a mirror. A plurality of lights are mounted behind the mirror. When the lights are energized, the mirror is transparent to display the clock, thermometer, hygrometer and moving advertisements; and when de-energized, the mirror is reflective.

United States Patent [191 Davis et al.

[451 Apr. 23, 1974 1 DISPLAY DEVICE 221 Filed: Aug. 8, 1972 [211 Appl. No.: 278,802

[52] US. Cl 40/219, 40/106.52, 40/132 R [51] Int. Cl. G091 13/12 [58] Field of Search 40/219, 106.53, 106.52,

40/132 R, 130 R; 58/152 A; 73/344, 336; 337/92 2,791,417 5/1957 Daroff 40/219 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 723,820 H1932 France 40/219 1,182 0/1908 Great Britain 40/219 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-John F. Pitrelli [5 7] ABSTRACT The display device has a clock, thermometer, hygrometer, and a motor-driven continuous belt containing advertisements mounted within a housing behind a mirror. A plurality of lights are mounted behind the [56] References Cited mirror. When the lights are energized, the mirror is UNITED STATES PATENTS transparent to display the clock, thermometer, hy- 2,098,302 11/1937 Morris 58/152 A UX grometer and moving advertisements; and when de- 3,521,488 7/1970 Preiser et a1... 73/336 energized h mirror i reflective 1,768,409 6/1930 Kuczorra 40/219 X 2,919,424 12/1959 Hollins 337/92 X- 2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 8 Q PUSH BUTTON 6 10 Z TEMP TIME HUM1D1TY QMEMTEI] APR 2 3 IHM SHEH 1 W 2 FIG. 2

52 N CLOCK F MOTOR,

46 LIGHTS L MUSIC H BOX MOTOIR 46 LIGHTS FIG.6

BOX

FIG. 7

64 MUSIC DISPLAY DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION .1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to display devices for attracting the attention of the ipublic at large to normally concealed advertising messages andother current information.

2. Description of the Prior Art Many devices have been conceived for arousing the curiosityand:holdingthe attention of the public to advertisements. However, the prior artfails to disclose, insofar as applicants are aware, a device such as the onepresently disclosedwhich functions 'either as amirror to reflect images when de-energized or provides useful information and at the same time holds the attention of the observer to continually changing advertisements when energized either manually or automatically.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The display deviceof the present invention is in the form of a casing having a plurality of lights mounted therein adjacent a continuous belt which is motor driven and. has advertising or other printed messages thereon. Adjacent the continuous belt and lights are mounted aclock, and a thermometer and hygrometer for indicating the temperature and humidity, respectively, of the atmosphere outside the casing. A specially constructed screen is mounted on the casing and covers the contents of the casing in itsclosed position. The screenis transparent when the lights are energized to thereby reveal only the continually moving advertisements, the clock, the thermometenand the hygrometer within the casing. The entire screen acts to reflect images in front of it whenthe lights are de-ener'gized. A source ofimusic is also energized whenthe lights are energized to both'entertain as well asarouseand hold the attention and curiosity of the general public in the vicinity of the display device.

The display device can be energized by means of a pushbutton switch and dc-energized after a predetermined timeby meansof a thermostatic switch responsive to the heat generated by one or more of the lights or the display device can be energized and deenergized by means of a timer at predetermined intervals for predetermined lengths of time.

Additional features, objects and advantages of the invention as well as the means for accomplishing them will be readily understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS F IG. 1 is a perspective view ofthe display device of the present invention.

. 2 I FIG. 7 is a secondembodiment of a wiring diagram of the present invention.

DETAILEDDESCRIPT ION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawingswwhere like numerals indicate like elements, reference numeral 10 refers The casing 11 is provided comprises side portions 12,

a back portion 14 and a front 16having a window or screen 18 mounted within an opening 19. The screen 18 consists of non-opaqued silvered glass plate that normally actsas a mirrorto reflect the image of an observer stand before it but which, when illuminatedfrom behind, permits the observer to view the interior of the casing 11 without reflecting the image of the observer Within the casing 10 is mounted a pair of parallel, spaced apart guide plates 20 which are secured to the back portion 14 by means of brackets 22 and screws 24. A substantially cylindrical drive roller 26 having a drive shaft 28 is journaledbetween the guide plates 20 at the upper end thereof. The drive shaft 28 is connected to an electric motor 30 which when energized will rotate the drive roller 26 at a constant speed. A first idler roller 32 is journaled between two bearing blocks 34 which are movably mounted on the guide plates 20 at the lower endthereof by means of bolts 36. When the bolts 36 are loosened, the second roller 32 can be moved vertically toward or away from drive roller 26. Second, third and fourth idlle rollers 38, 40, 42, respectively, are similar to idler roller 32 and are journaled between the guide plates 20 parallel to, but spaced apart from, the drive roller 26 and first idler roller 32. Itwill bereadily seen upon reference to FIGS. 3 and 5 of the accompanying drawings that rollers 26, 32, 38, 40 and 42 are, thus, positioned and maintained in vertically spaced relation in substantially horizontal parallel alignment.

The present invention further provides a substantially endless belt 44 preferably formed of a resilient pliable material, such as plastic, rubber or the like mounted upon the rollers 26, 32, 38, 40 as shown in FIG. 3 and rotated by means of electric motor 30 and drive roller 26. The belt 44 has secured to one side thereof a plurality of advertisements 47 in substantially end to end abutment. The advertisements 47 can be secured to the tegrally therewith. If insufficient friction exits between the drive roller 26 and belt 44 to insure proper rotation of the belt 44, the first idler roller 32 can be moved away from the drive roller 26 to tighten the belt and secured in that position by bolts 36.

Each guide plate 20 has secured to it a belt support 45 which extends inwardly a distance behind the belt 44. The belt supports 45 act to keep the surface of the belt 44 behind the screen 18 smooth and wrinkle free as the belt rotates.

A plurality of lights 46, preferably florescent, are secured to the side portions 12 by means of light brackets 48 and screws 24. The lights 46 are positioned behind minate both the front of the belt 44 as it rotates and the back of the screen 18 to render it transparent. The florescent lights 46 each have starter transformers 50 connected thereto.

The present invention also provides instruments which indicate the time and the current temperature and humidity in the vicinity of the display device. The clock 52, the thermometer 54 and hygrometer 56 are mounted within casing 11 above the drive roller 26 and lights 46. The clock 52, thermometer 54 and hygrometer 56 have indicators 58, 60, 62, respectively, which face the back of screen 18. When the lights 46 are energized, they illuminate the indicators 58, 60 and 62 as well as render the portion of the screen 18 in front of the indicators transparent. A strip of opaque material 63 is positioned behind the screen 18 and in front of the light 46 to render that portion of the screen 18 always reflective and thereby conceal the light 46.

A source of music 64 such as a tape recorder, radio or the like having a speaker 66 is mounted on the inside of the casing 11 below the belt 44. The source of music 64 is energized whenever the lights 46 and electric motor 30 are energized to thereby draw the attention and arouse the curiosity of passerbyers in the vicinity of the display device.

The front 16 is secured to the casing 11 by means of screws 68 which screw into the triangular-shaped corner supports 70 located where the side portions 12 meet. The front 16 also has mounted thereon a pushbutton switch 72 which can be a normally-open switch or a conventional on-off switch as will be fully described in conjuction with FIGS. 6 and 7. The front 16 also has the legend PUSHBUTTON printed adjacent the pushbutton switch 72 and TEMP., TIME, HUMID- ITY printed directly above the location of the indicators 58, 60 and 62, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 6, one embodiment ofa wiring diagram for the display device is shown having a source of current fed to supply lines 74, 76. The clock 52 is connected across the supply lines 74, 76 to maintain energization thereof at all times. The normally open pushbutton switch is connected in series with the supply line 74, the parallel connection of the motor 30, lights 46 and music box 64, a thermostatic switch 78 and the supply line 76. The thermostatic switch 78 is secured in proximity to one of the lights 46 and is opened after a predetermined time by the heat generated by the light 46 to which it is secured. A relay 80 has its coil connected in parallel with the electric motor 30 and its normally open contacts 82, 84 connected across the terminals of the pushbutton switch 72. In this embodiment of the wiring diagram, whenever an observer wishes the current time, temperature and humidity, he pushes the pushbutton switch 72 which energizes the motor 30, lights 46, music box 64 and relay 80. Upon energization of the relay 80, relay contacts 82, 84 are made, thus, keeping current flowing through the circuit even though the pushbutton switch 72 returns to its normally open position. After a predetermined time, the thermostatic switch 78 opens due to the heat generated by light 46, thus, interrupting the current flow and de-energizing the relay 80, opening contacts 82, 84. The circuit remains de-energized even though the thermostatic switch 78 eventually cools and closes. The duration that the thermostatic switch 78 stays closed after the lights 46 are energized can be easily and precisely determined by choosing the proximity of the thermostatic switch 78 to the light 46.

The wiring diagram of FIG. 7 is another embodiment wherein the display device 10 can be turned on by onoff switch 72 and then started and stopped automatically at different times or for predetermined lengths of time. The on-off switch 72 is connected in series with supply line 74, the parallel connection of the motor 30, lights 46 and music box 64, a timer 86, and the supply line 76. The timer 86 can be a clock timer (not shown) which closes the circuit at different times of the day or it can be a timer which employs a thermostatic strip 88 having normally closed contacts 90, 92. When the onoff switch 78 is closed, the circuit is energized until the current flowing through the shunt line 94 warms the thermostatic strip 88, thus, opening the contacts 90, 92. After a predetermined time, the thermostatic strip 88 cools to close contacts 90, 92 again energizing the circuit.

Whereas we have described our invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A display device comprising:

a. a casing,

b. electric motor-driven advertising means mounted on said casing comprising a continuous belt means having a plurality of advertisements on one side thereof, said belt means being positioned upon a plurality of rollers, said rollers being rotatably mounted between two spaced apart belt guide means, one of said plurality of rollers is connected to said electric motor and another of said plurality of rollers has means mounted on said guide means for adjusting the position of said roller,

c. time, temperature and humidity indicating means mounted adjacent said advertising means, said temperature indicating means is a thermometer and said humidity indicating means is a hygrometer,

d. light means mounted adjacent said advertising means and said indicating means,

e. switch means mounted on said casing for controlling energization of said electric motor and said light means, said switch means is a normally open pushbutton switch and said deenergizing means is a thermostatic switch responsive to the temperature of said light means,

f. means for de-energizing said electric motor and said light means, and

g. mirror means covering said advertising meansand said indicating means, said mirror means being reflective when said light means is de-energized and transparent when said light means is energized to thereby revealsaid advertising and said indicating means.

A display device comprising: a casing, electric motor means mounted on said casing,

a plurality of rollers rotatably journaled between said guide means and continuous belt means having advertisements on one side thereof positioned upon said rollers, a first of said rollers being connected to said electric motor means and a second of said rollers being adjustable relative to said rollers,

e. time, temperature, and humidity indicating means spaced-apart guide means mounted on said casing,

motor means and said light means, and

. mirror means covering said belt means and said indicating means, said mirror means being reflective when said light means is de-energized and transparent when said light means is energized to thereby reveal said advertisements on said belt means and said indicating means. 

1. A display device comprising: a. a casing, b. electric motor-driven advertising means mounted on said casing comprising a continuous belt means having a plurality of advertisements on one side thereof, said belt means being positioned upon a plurality of rollers, said rollers being rotatably mounted between two spaced apart belt guide means, one of said plurality of rollers is connected to said electric motor and another of said plurality of rollers has means mounted on said guide means for adjusting the position of said roller, c. time, temperature and humidity indicating means mounted adjacent said advertising means, said temperature indicating means is a thermometer and said humidity indicating means is a hygrometer, d. light means mounted adjacent said advertising means and said indicating means, e. switch means mounted on said casing for controlling energization of said electric motor and said light means, said switch means is a normally open pushbutton switch and said deenergizing means is a thermostatic switch responsive to the temperature of said light means, f. means for de-energizing said electric motor and said light means, and g. mirror means covering said advertising means and said indicating means, said mirror means being reflective when said light means is de-energized and transparent when said light means is energized to thereby reveal said advertising and said indicating means.
 2. A display device comprising: a. a casing, b. electric motor means mounted on said casing, c. spaced-apart guide means mounted on said casing, d. a plurality of rollers rotatably journaled between said guide means and continuous belt means having advertisements on one side thereof positioned upon said rollers, a first of said rollers being connected to said electric motor means and a second of said rollers being adjustable relative to said rollers, e. time, temperature, and humidity indicating means mounted in said casing adjacent said belt means, f. light means mounted adjacent said belt means and said indicating means, g. pushbutton switch means mounted on said casing for controlling energization of said motor means and said light means, h. thermostatic switch means responsive to the temperature of said light means for de-energizing said motor means and said light means, and i. mirror means covering said belt means and said indicating means, said mirror means being reflective when said light means is de-energized and transparent when said light means is energized to thereby reveal said advertisements on said belt means and said indicating means. 